Love Field Reopens Main Runway After 14-Month Reconstruction

Dallas Love Field reopened its primary runway Tuesday after a 14-month rebuild.

During the project and resulting runway closure, all Dallas Love Field airport traffic operated on Runway 13L/31R, near Lemmon Avenue. 

Some nearby residents complained about the noise as commercial aircraft had to fly closer to neighborhoods, and the project was plagued by slowdowns caused by ice storms last winter as well as labor and supply shortages.

“It is no secret that this project faced many challenges, from ice storms to supply and labor shortages stemming from the pandemic,” said Mark Duebner, director of aviation. “But we are extremely grateful to our partners and construction teams for joining us in our commitment to ensure the operational safety and efficiency of the Dallas Love Field airfield. And to our community members, we appreciate your patience during the duration of this project.”

The airport now has two runways to use during the busy summer travel season, although the reconstructed runway on the Denton Drive side is expected to get most of the traffic.

Love Field is served by Southwest Airlines, Delta Airlines, and Alaska Airlines.

While the runway has been reconstructed to meet current FAA design specifications, additional upgrades will continue for associated safety areas and taxiways, officials said. These upgrades include connector taxiways, an improved storm drainage system, and high-efficiency LED lighting systems to reduce airfield inefficiencies. The remaining improvements are expected to continue through October 2022.

Rachel Snyder

Rachel Snyder, former deputy editor at People Newspapers, joined the staff in 2019, returning to her native Dallas-Fort Worth after starting her career at community newspapers in Oklahoma. One of her stories won first place in its category in the Oklahoma Press Association’s Better Newspaper Contest in 2018. She’s a fan of puns and community journalism, not necessarily in that order.

2 thoughts on “Love Field Reopens Main Runway After 14-Month Reconstruction

  • July 5, 2022 at 11:29 am
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    Glad this has opened. We are lucky to have Love field. Being frequent travelers to other cities, we really appreciate the ease, service, and convenience of Dallas Love. This runway should improve things too. The only thing Love lacks is good airlines Clubs. a

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